Improvement in sewing-machines



B; HITEHILL Sewing-Machine.

No. 166,172. Patenwdlulyzmv.

S'rns ATE T IMPRQVEMENT IN swine-MACHINES.

Speciiication forming part of Letters Patent No. l66,l72, dated July 27,1875;. application filed July 10, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, ROBERT WHITEHILL,i

of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certainImprovements in Sewing-Machines, of which the following is aspecification:

The invention consists in a novel construetion of an oscillatingneedle-thread controller or take-up, operating to provide for deliveryof the thread at a proper time and in suitable amdnnt without formingunnecessary slack, and so that the needlethread is drawn ti ghtest whenthe stitch is formed, to which ends, and to provide for sewing differentthicknesses of material, the bar of the controller over which the threadis drawn is arranged so that its aetin'g surface is in line with thecenter of the controller, and the latter made adjustable around itsaxis.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 represents a partly-sectional front view of a sewing-machine with myimprovement. Fig. 2 is a verticalsection at right angles to Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a face view of thethread-controller on a larger scale than Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 4 is asection of the thread-controller at right angles to Fig. 3, and on acorresponding 'scale'.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the severalfigures.

A is the cloth bed or table of the machine. D is the reciprocatingneedle, the carrying-bar D of which may be moved up and down by acrank-movement derived from an upper horizontal shaft, E, or by otherknown or suitable means. K is a curvilinearly-reciprocatingneedle-threadcontroller or take-up arranged in front of the needle-bar D on the frameor upright L, and with its center of motion at one side of said bar,whereby said take-up may be operated in a positiye manner directly fromthe needle-bar by a rack, f, on the bar gearing with a pinion, g, on thearbor of the take-up. The needle-thread h is passed through an eye, z',down to and round a tension device, k, below the take-up, and fromthence to and on the inside of a stationary bar or pin, M, arrangedeccentrically in relation with the center of the oscillating take-up,and so that the inside or acting surface of said bar, over which thethread is drawn when tightening the stitch,

is in line with the center of the take-up K.

`pin or bar.

The needle thread h is then continued to and through an eye, l, in thetake-up at any suitable distance from the axis of the latter, and fromthence to the needle D, passing through a guide, m, on the needle-bar.Both lines of the needle-thread h bear on the inside surface of the baror pin M when the stitch is being tightened. This stationary bar or pinM, which forms a combined thread guide and stitchtightener, is suitablybent to provide for its attachment to one end ot' the stationary plateor upright L. The oscillatn g take-up K swings backwardly over andforwardly down and below the pin or portion of the bar M lyingeccentrically opposite the end of the arbor N of the take-np. When theneedle D is at the end of its npstroke then the take-up D is in theposition occupied by full lines in Figs. 1 and 3, the stitch beingtightened as the take-up moves from its position, (shown by dotted linesin Fig. 3,) when the eye l is directly over the center of the take-up,to its position represented by full lilies in the same figure. The fullstroke ofthe take-np K is represented by full and dotted lines in Fig.1, the needle be- -ing fully down when the take-np K is at its dottedposition in said figure. 'This arrangement provides for the necessarydouble feed or supply of the needle-thread relatively to the distancetraveled by the needle to allow for the passage of the shuttle throughthe loop, after which, as the needle ascends, the takenp K at rstslowly, and afterward more rapidly, takes up the slack of theneedle-thread, giving ample time for the passage ofthe shuttle withoutforming unnecessary slack, and as said take-up works back of the pin M,tightens the stitch by pull of the thread on or over said This latteraction does not commence until the eye of the needle is clear of thecloth, just as in the reverse stroke of the take-up the latter does notcommence to give out slack till the eye of the needle is down to thecloth, thereby doing away with any possibility of entanglement. By thearrangement of the pin or bar M in eccentric relation with the arbor ofthe take-up, and so that its inner side or acting surface is in linewith the center of the take-up, the thread h is kept tight from the timethe needle leaves the cloth until it returns to it, so that it gives outslack when thc stitch is being formed and regulates the thread' so as tokeep it tight until the needle meets the cloth. Tile take-np K is madeadjustable on or around its arbor N by means of a clamping-nut, n, sothat the eye lof the takenp may be set more or less backward or forwardrelatively to the stationary bar or pin M, whereby provision is made foradapting the take-up'K to different thicknesses of cloth.

W'ha-t is here claimed, and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is-

1. In combination with the oscillating takeup K, the stationary bar orpin M, arranged to occupy an eccentric position relatively with thearbor N or axis of oscillation of the takenp, whereby its inside faceover which the thread is drawn will be in line with the center of thetake-up, substantially as specified.

2. The oscillating take-up K, made adjustable. around the arbor N, bywhich it is'operated, substantially as described, whereby provision ismade for adjusting the take-up to suit ditferent thicknesses of fabric.

R. WHITEHILL. Witnesses:

FRED. HAYNES, MICHAEL RYAN.

